Soupaneur 1: Einlauf Soup, Max's Allegheny Tavern, 35 miles

11/30/2013 #213 35m 35F

Today I got to enjoy three rides, in a way, while other more intrepid cyclists rode the Dirty Dozen. Took this photo at the koi pond on the Chateau Trail:

First, just because I got out early and wanted to blow out some carbon, I rounded the stadia and rode past the 31st Street Bridge, then reversed and took the streets back to the casino - which felt really good to do. I met Stu on his way out to marshall the Dirty Dozen, he looked quite dashing with a high-viz scarf. My seat post clamp became loose and my seat post receded into my seat tube, causing some inefficient posture and getting jiggy wid'it. I'm thinking about blaming that on the temperature changes, but that's just grasping for a cause.

Returned to the Bastille, tightened the seat post clamp (which is not a QR), met S and RR. Rode around to the 40th Street Bridge, up through the Allegheny Cemetery, across to Oakland, down Panther Hollow to the Swinburne Street Trailhead (seeing Kitaira). Took the Jail Trail and the Ft. Duquesne Bridge around to the Casino.

Departed the trail eastbound, destined for Max's Allegheny Tavern and our first Soupaneur 2013 outing. Enjoyed some Einlauf Soup, which was very good and perhaps a bit not unlike matzoh ball soup in my estimation, even though it's technically more like egg-drop soup.

Departed Max's a bit heavier on the bike, lights on, back to the Bastille.

35 miles on my ride, on a very nice day for the last of November.

Chartreuse and Orange is the New Black Friday

11/29/2013 #212 20m 34F

This seemed a much more tolerable weather day than Monday, I think it was due to the absence of any significant wind.

My response to Black Friday, shopping, and cars was to wear Chartreuse and Orange, ride a bike and be fabulous.

Started at the Bastille with S. Rode around to USX Plaza to see the Crèche and take some photos. Pittsburgh's is the only authorized replica of the original Vatican crèche on display in Rome.

Joined the Jail Trail and saw Bob and Maggie Holder on their tandem riding quite smartly in the opposite direction.

Crossed the Hot Metal Bridge and joined the Baldwin Borough Trail. Just south-east of the startup office park, the consistent wet patch on the trail has turned into a consistent ice patch. Continued down to Keystone Metals, where the trail really doesn't get much sunlight at all due to the hill beyond Route 837. The trail surface was about 1.5 inches of irregular crusty ice, and since this was a pleasure ride and we weren't delivering any transplant organs n'at, we reversed and went to REI.

REI: warmth, restrooms, Chia-seed munchies. Back across the Hot Metal Bridge. Saw Ben-Y on the Jail Trail, rocking two bike-Menorah's - one on his helmet, one on his trailer. Continued across town, saw the folks going into the Pitt game on the North Side.

Passing the Casino we encountered award-winning cyclist Yale Cohen along with PaulH and Meg. Yale, who just crossed 10,000 bike miles in 2013, had just delivered his BikePgh Men's Bike Challenge Trophy to the Bicycle Heaven Museum for display until next year. Yale has won the award two years in a row, very impressive and a great guy.

Visualizing Six Million Dead; Locksmiths, Murals, Trees

11/25/2013 209# 33F 23m

First, a month before Christmas. You're welcome.

It's not that today was great weather to ride; it was a bit chilly, but the next two days are forecast to be fugly, so there was a bit of an imperative. Met S at the Bastille. The first mile was kind of key, because I started at 4999 miles for the year, so the first mile put me at 5,000 for the year, so there's that. (Last year was 7000 miles, not going to see that this year).

Riding the Jail Trail past the CourtHouse, saw a podium being set up for some sort of a press event, asked and was told that the Governor was giving a press conference. Definitely not the weather for an outdoor press conference. Later read that it was all about infrastructure and the Liberty Bridge. Silly boys, ignoring the trail-as-infrastructure.

Swinburne Street trailhead, Second Avenue, and for something new we climbed Greenfield Ave to Beechwood Blvd into Squirrel Hill and Forward Street. Ended up at the Community Day School and the just-dedicated Keeping Tabs Holocaust Sculpture.

In order to demonstrate what six million (the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust) looks like, the school had collected six million pull-tabs from soda/pop cans. The tabs were then placed into glass block, and the blocks built into walls forming a Star of David that people can walk through. It's a very impressive, poignant presentation; well worth traveling to see.

There's no photography yet showing an overhead view of the Star of David, I'm counting on the next Google Earth update to show that.

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Encountered this unusual bit of car rooftop decoration, from the Squirrel Hill Locksmith:

Startled to stumble across another mural at Beacon and Murray Streets:

Stopped at 61C Cafe for hot drinks (espresso and tea) to warm up. Departed via Forbes and Schenley Park, Junction Hollow and the Jail Trail. Crossing the Hot Metal Bridge, we saw an opposite direction cyclist with a Menorah on his helmet, I think that must have been my friend Ben.

Got to see the tree at Point State Park.


A very nice ride on a somewhat chilly day. 23 miles, and over 5000 for 2013.

Saturday Soup Sega in West Homestead

11/23/2013 #208 32F 25M

Today was 32F and windy, but the weather is so much better than tomorrow's forecast so it seems like a great day to ride.

Met S. at 0830 at the Bastille and we were both quite bundled up for the first sub-30F-windchill ride of the this season. The first problem was all the detail-fussing with increasingly cold extremities prior to the ride, the snapping on of new overshoes, handwarmers, things like that. Finally we were ready to go, like kids off to school in a snowstorm.

Riding was great. Yesterday I took advantage of the rain day to have the world's best Local Bike Shop (aka the Ambridge Bike Shop) install a new drive train (rear cassette, chain, chainrings) along with a new rear brake mechanism and some brake hoods, and it's a pleasure to ride a bike that's quiet, doesn't skip, and brakes so effectively. That alone made the first mile so happy.

Took the Ft. Pitt Bridge over to Station Square; not too many people on the trails this morning. I was feeling quite comfortable despite the temps, although I must credit multiple layers and chemical warmers on my hands and feet.

Rode down past Sandcastle and intended to depart the trail and penetrate Homestead proper. Until recently we rode around on the Waterfront property and exited via the train crossing and Amity Street, which is a bit dodgy in a car-bike sort of way. Just the last few times, we've taken the ramp up to the Homestead Grays Bridge and taken the right turn into Homestead, which provides a much saner transition into Homestead without any of the mall crazy; I like this a lot better.

Rode through town to 449 W. 8th Avenue, W. Homestead PA, 15120, which is home to the Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center. The MBNECC hosts Soup Sega! Saturdays until noon, selling 14 varieties of high-quality homemade Bulgarian soups. To. Die. For. "Soup Sega" translates to "soup now", they explain.

The menu includes several vegetarian choices, as well as gluten free selections, and also dairy-free options. S and I each departed with two quarts of soup in our panniers.

We reversed and rode up to the South Side, crossed the Hot Metal Bridge, and rode the Jail Trail. Saw a cross-country skier practicing on Roller-Skis, very cool. Took a detour through USX Plaza and saw that the tree and ice rink are in operation. Passed through Market Square where the Tchotchke Market opened today. Stopped at Point State Park to eat some strudel from the Bulgarian Center (wow).

Crossed to the North Side, noticed the (head)wind picking up and a bit more blue skies. Still felt pretty comfortable in the 32F temp range. 25 miles today, which puts me at 4999 miles year-to-dayte, oh-so-close to 5000.

Politically and Anatomically Correct Sharrow Markings - That's No Sharrow, it's a Sheryl !

11/21/2013 208# 25m

Dr. Pangloss was right; it is, in fact, the best of all possible worlds. Ended up with a great day and a great ride, which might have cancelled based on the weather forecast.

Started at the Bastille with S, rode to the Liberty Ave JimmyJohn's hoagie shop for a BikePghForum lunch meetup of 8 or so fellow travellers. A very nice time.

Departed intent on inspecting some new street markings, seems there's some new inclusive street markings on Smallman Street at 25th:

Attempted to post something witty about the incoming Mayor's administration, and Hizzoner-Himself retweeted it which I thought was very decent of him:

New Pittsburgh Sharrows refecting @billpeduto Diversity and Transport Policy pic.twitter.com/PAcnZ4306E

— Vannevar Bush (@VannevarB) November 21, 2013

Rode through Lawrenceville, climbed up through Allegheny Cemetery, out to Centre Avenue to run an errand.

Next out to Squirrel Hill for another errand. It turned out to be a really nice, mild afternoon. Returned via Schenley Park, Junction Hollow Trail, and the Jail Trail. Got back to the cars before dark and before any rain, another successful adventure without casualty.

Labor march, chain splicing, Jungian mandalas: another bike ride in Pittsburgh

11/19/2013 #210 25m

Started solo at the Bastille, rode to the Jail Trail abeam the Second Ave parking lots for a quick bit of freelance trail marking. Reversed to meet S.

Encountered a labor protest march at Rivers Casino; it was professional, organized, and well attended. Nice to see democracy and the right-to-organize in action.

Met S at the West End Bridge and we rode around the stadia and the Clark Bldg and worked our route to Federal Street and Fineview. Note to self: include "View" on the list of street names that are code-words for heart-breaking climbs.

Was rewarded with a view of this hard-to-find backyard mural that turns a sloped yard into a bamboo garden, it's really very nice.



Departed and rode a bit further up the hill to see "how fine is the view?" Ended up at the Fineview ball field, and it is a great view now that the leaves are down. I had to climb up a hill to get out of my position and I tore apart the drive chain, third time I've done that with this chain. It's time to replace it, I suppose. Still, you've got to love the robustness of a drivetrain design that let's you snip out failed sections, splice it together, and keep riding - three times!

The climb up to the top of Fineview was a lot of work but it was very pleasant. The descent was quick and it was rather uncomfortable because I was freezing at the bottom of it, particularly after having had my gloves off for the chain repairs. Wow was that cold.

Crossing downtown, we noticed some art embedded in the sidewalk outside of Market Square and realized we'd stumbled across something Stu had told us about recently. This installation by Philomena O'Dea is a fusion of Jungian archetypes, mandalas, and digital photoshop techniques.

I hope that these are Jungian mandalas and not Buddhist mandalas, because I'm under the impression it would be very disrespectful to have pedestrians walking over Buddhist sand mandalas.

Joined the Jail Trail, saw a lady using roller skis to get ready for the cross-country skiing season, that was pretty cool. Continued and took the Hot Metal Bridge, and stopped at REI for odds and ends. It was a luxury to warm up. Returned via the same route. 25 mles.

Diorama and Newb Aversion

11.16.2013 #211 25m

Parked on the outskirts of the Burgh at the Bastille and rode into the City for a meeting. Passing by the football stadium I heard my name and was so pleased to see PaulD and the lovely Deb on their way into the Pitt game.

Downtown the celebrity sightings continued with a glimpse of Burghman rollerblading through the Metropolis. (We note that Burghman lists Bill Peduto as one of his sidekicks.)

After the meeting I met S. and we checked out an illuminated-timeline display of the Homestead Strike (built by Don Sentner of Design Specialties ) in the lobby of the Steelworkers Building. It's the best depiction of the action that I've seen.

Rode down to Keystone Metals, Sandcastle, and the Pump House. It was interesting to see the Pump House and the Pinkertons Landing Bridge after viewing the timeline-diorama.

Reversed and returned. With the mild afternoon, there were a lot of people on the trail. It's nice to see the bikes out, but when I approach a turn and I can choose which way to go, I find myself saying - whichever way they're not going, that's my choice.

A beautiful mild day, 25 miles.